Chapter 85 Preparing for War
When Mu Ang arrived at the Duke of Qian's Mansion, Princess Shunde had already left. Only Mu Yan was sitting motionless in the main seat. He lowered his head slightly, and his expression showed no emotion.
The uneasiness in Mu Ang's heart had become a reality, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
When Mu Yan saw his uncle coming, he immediately stood up to greet him and said, "Uncle is here."
Mu Ang waved his hand and said, "What does Your Highness say?"
Mu Yan did not hide anything and said frankly: "Your Highness asked me to be responsible for the logistics of the army."
Mu Ang was slightly stunned. This was somewhat beyond his expectations. He thought that Zhu Yuhuan would directly ask Mu Yan to persuade him to join the army.
Mu Ang's own thoughts happened to be on logistics. After all, if he really didn't contribute, it would seem that the Mu family was useless. But Mu Ang was not very willing to let this old man go to the battlefield. Being in charge of supplies in the rear was indeed a good job.
"It's good to be in charge of supplies. At least it's safe." Mu Ang sighed and said, "You are my only child. You don't have a son to inherit the title yet. You must take good care of yourself."
Mu Ying had only four adult sons. His eldest son, Mu Chun, inherited the title, but he had no children. After his death, his second son, Mu Sheng, inherited the title. Mu Sheng had only one son, Mu Yan, and Mu Yan had no sons at all. If he had one or two children, the title would have belonged to Mu Ang in the future.
But to be fair, Mu Ang still hopes that his descendants will not be bound by such an important task as guarding Yunnan. With the reputation of the Mu family, even if his children do not inherit the title, they can still be safe.
Mu Yan was fully aware of this and simply said, "My uncle followed my father in many campaigns in the southwest, and later served as governor of Yunnan. With the generosity of Your Majesty and the Princess, would you be reluctant to grant my uncle a title?"
Mu Ang was horrified when he heard this. He quickly covered his nephew's mouth and said, "Don't talk nonsense like that!"
As for rewards, no matter how great the merits of a general are, they can only be bestowed by the emperor. How can he ask for them?
Mu Yan pulled Mu Ang's hand down and said solemnly, "Your Highness has personally promised to ask for a title. The eldest princess is assisting the government and has a close relationship with Your Majesty. As long as the expedition to Luchuan is a complete victory, there is no need to worry about not being able to confer a title on your uncle."
Mu Ang was somewhat confused when he heard the word "successful" and couldn't help asking, "How can Your Highness be sure of a great victory?"
Mu Yan repeated Princess Shunde's words, and Mu Ang fell into silence.
He didn't know the princess well, but seeing that Wang Ji and Jiang Gui both trusted her deeply, he could guess that she was definitely not someone who would say such a thing. But what Mu Yan had just said couldn't be a lie, which showed that the princess was determined to win this battle.
After all, if the eldest princess wanted them and their nephew to go to the front together, would they possibly refuse?
Princess Shunde made a special trip to visit the mansion simply because she hoped that the two of them would be "willing".
After fighting for half a lifetime, if in the end you didn't even get a title, wouldn't future generations laugh their heads off if they knew?
Seeing that his uncle was already wavering, Mu Yan continued, "Your Highness said it yourself that she followed Minister Wang's main force to conquer Luchuan. Furthermore, the plan to divide the troops to conquer Luchuan originated from your uncle. Your Highness's confidence is a reflection of your trust in your uncle. If your uncle doesn't personally participate in the battle, wouldn't he be giving away his military achievements for nothing?"
Mu Ang was really stunned and couldn't say a word for a while.
Being determined to win is one thing, but personally going to the battlefield is another. The eldest princess is so confident, or perhaps she trusts his judgment so much...
Mu Ang gritted his teeth and said, "Fight! Wherever the princess wants me to fight, I'll go!"
After all, only the west route is vacant now. The eldest princess simply hopes that Mu Ang can go to guard the west route. Even if he takes Li An with him, it will not be a big deal. Even if he cannot achieve any unprecedented achievements, at least he will not make any mistakes.
What's more important is that the eldest princess is willing to take part in the battle in person, which shows that she has invested a lot of money. If something goes wrong on the battlefield and the eldest princess makes a mistake, it will not only be Wang Ji, Jiang Gui and others who will be in trouble, but the Mu family will have no chance of escape.
No wonder the emperor wanted the eldest princess to go to such a dangerous place as the front line. Perhaps he had this consideration in mind.
The eldest princess is still so dedicated. I wonder if she realizes that the emperor is using her life as a bargaining chip?
The generals for the three-pronged operations have all been decided. The next period of time will be mainly used for separate training so that the generals, military officers and soldiers can get used to each other as quickly as possible. At the same time, some soldiers will be sent to the border to launch a small counterattack and recapture some of the land that originally belonged to Yunnan.
In order to attack the hinterland of Luchuan, the first thing to ensure is that the route is open and the logistical supplies can keep up, so the top priority is to clear a route. At the same time, the warships and supply ships that were started earlier were also completed one after another.
Zhu Yuhuan received the news from Toghto Boluo first. The local officials in southern Yunnan had gradually calmed down through a combination of kindness and force, and soft and hard tactics. It can be seen that having a gun in hand is indeed more reliable than anything else.
In addition, Toghto Boluo also received the surrendered local officials and soldiers from Ganya and Nandian on the border, and incorporated them into the army to conquer Luchuan. Together with the local local officials and soldiers recruited from Yunnan, it was also a considerable team. Especially since these people had lived in the southwest all year round and had a certain understanding of the complex terrain, they could be regarded as a powerful team. Toghto Boluo was also able to learn a lot about the enemy's situation through this, and wrote it all into a book and sent it to Kunming.
During this period, Dao Gaihan, the local governor of Weiyuan Prefecture, and his mother jointly fought against Luchuan. Zhu Yuhuan personally wrote a letter to the mother and son to request for titles, and soon received the decree of Zhu Qizhen to confer titles on them.
This will put the Mu family at ease.
During this period, Si Renfa showed no fear at all. The Luchuan soldiers were no less brave and good at fighting. They harassed the Ming army many times and fought back and forth with Toghto Boluo.
If there had not been the cooperation of the local native officials and the attack of firearms, I am afraid that in the hotter climate of summer and autumn, the Ming army might not have been a match for Luchuan.
Si Renfa failed to gain any benefits after several attempts, and realized that the Ming army was beginning to counterattack. In addition, the intelligence he had obtained indicated that the main force of the Ming army was beginning to gather towards the border, so he no longer took the initiative to attack, and even pretended to surrender to the Ming army, obviously intending to use a delaying tactic.
In terms of combat advantages in the southwest, even the three camps cannot compare to Luchuan. Instead of taking the initiative to attack, it is better to rely on their own advantages to make these Ming troops suffer. When the spring of the following year comes and the weather is hot, the large number of Ming troops will gradually disperse due to the long supply period.
Having more people is certainly an advantage, but it is not without flaws. With the natural barrier of Lujiang River, even if Si Renfa cannot gain benefits from the Ming Dynasty, it will not be easily defeated by the Ming army. Even if the Ming army recaptures a few towns, it will not matter.
At least that's what he thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com